A couple from Nelson, Lancashire, who married last December, are very happy with wedding gifts they received. Joanna and Lindsay Marshall opted for ‘alternative gifts’ such as chickens and malaria tablets from international relief and development charity World Vision’s Alternative Gift Catalogue instead of the more traditional cutlery, bath towels, toasters and wine glasses.
Joanna explained, ‘we were already living together and had everything we needed. We knew these gifts would help others. We also sponsor a child in Africa called Nicolas through World Vision. We would never have used something like a blender and our guests thought it was a great idea to benefit others!’
“Wedding gift lists are a great way for couples to choose and receive the things they would like for creating their homes,” said David Thompson World Vision’s Marketing Manager. “But increasingly, many couples feel they already have so much, so are opting to either include some alternative gifts in their lists, or, even set up an entire Alternative Wedding Gift List to replace a more traditional one.
“The great thing is it gives choice to the bride and groom after all If they already have the Le Creuset cookware they need then they can ask for an emergency cook set for a family who has just lost everything in an emergency situation. If they have an all in one microwave, with an Oven and a grill get then they could ask for a cowpat stove £34 for a family living in Nepal. After all who needs a set of bathroom scales that will only trip them up every morning in their bathroom when they could ask for a weighing bag for £17 to help health workers in Malawi monitor the weight of children. The best bit is the bride and groom will be happy that by choosing our alternative gifts they are making a truly lasting difference to couples and families in living in poverty around the world,” he continued.
'We got sheep and emergency water kits instead of a toaster for our wedding’ said Birmingham newlyweds
A couple from Birmingham, who married last November, are very happy with the wedding gifts they received. Sarah and Richard Gough opted for ‘alternative gifts’ from the World Vision Alternative Gift Catalogue such as sheep, goats and emergency water kits that will benefit people in developing countries instead of the more traditional cutlery, bath towels, toasters and wine glasses.
Sarah explained, ‘we have a lot of stuff between us already and didn’t want to duplicate. We thought why should we benefit ourselves when someone else needs it?’ The couple received many positive comments from their guests and encourage other couples to do the same, ‘It’s a great idea. I can’t see the point of buying new things just for the sake of it,’ said Sarah.
“Wedding gift lists are a great way for couples to choose and receive the things they would like for creating their homes,” said David Thompson World Vision’s Marketing Manager. “But increasingly, many couples feel they already have so much, so are opting to either include some alternative gifts in their lists, or, even set up an entire Alternative Wedding Gift List to replace a more traditional one.
“The great thing is it gives choice to the bride and groom after all If they already have the Le Creuset cookware they need then they can ask for an emergency cook set for a family who has just lost everything in an emergency situation. If they have an all in one microwave, with an Oven and a grill get then they could ask for a cowpat stove £ 34 for a family living in Nepal. After all who needs a set of bathroom scales that will only trip them up every morning in their bathroom when they could ask for a weighing bag for£17 to help health workers in Malawi monitor the weight of children. The best bit is the bride and groom will be happy that by choosing our alternative gifts they are making a truly lasting difference to couples and families in living in poverty around the world,” he continued.
A couple from Bristol, who married last November, are very happy with the wedding gifts they received. Simon and Rosie Satchell opted for ‘alternative gifts’ from the World Vision Alternative Gift Catalogue such as chickens, immunisations for children and vegetable starter kits for a poor community in Zambia instead of the more traditional cutlery, bath towels, toasters and wine glasses.
Rosie explained, ‘we were well set up and didn’t need anything as we’re not a very young couple starting out needing new things. We have plenty of functioning things.’
Rosie continued, ’we sponsor a little boy in Zambia called Joseph through World Vision. We found out that the Gift Catalogue featured gifts from the community where Joseph lives so we decided that our wedding gifts be for that specific project.’ Through just 150 guests the couple raised £3500 worth of gifts, ‘the priority for us was for the guests to come and we were very humbled by what they did. I would definitely recommend this to other couples,’ said Rosie.
“Wedding gift lists are a great way for couples to choose and receive the things they would like for creating their homes,” said David Thompson World Vision’s Marketing Manager. “But increasingly, many couples feel they already have so much, so are opting to either include some alternative gifts in their lists, or, even set up an entire Alternative Wedding Gift List to replace a more traditional one.
“The great thing is it gives choice to the bride and groom after all If they already have the Le Creuset cookware they need then they can ask for an emergency cook set for a family who has just lost everything in an emergency situation. If they have an all in one microwave, with an Oven and a grill get then they could ask for a cowpat stove £ 34 for a family living in Nepal. After all who needs a set of bathroom scales that will only trip them up every morning in their bathroom when they could ask for a weighing bag for£17 to help health workers in Malawi monitor the weight of children. The best bit is the bride and groom will be happy that by choosing our alternative gifts they are making a truly lasting difference to couples and families in living in poverty around the world,” he continued.
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A couple from Edinburgh, have opted for ‘alternative gifts’ from the World Vision Alternative Gift Catalogue such as chickens, immunisations for children and school equipment for people in poor countries, instead of the more traditional cutlery, bath towels, toasters and wine glasses.
Andy Haynes and Venetia Radmore, said, ‘we have everything we need. We’ve lived over a decade on our own. Our guests want to give us presents and this seems like a sensible way of giving something back. I would encourage other couples to do the same thing. Do something that makes a difference. It’s really that simple.’
“Wedding gift lists are a great way for couples to choose and receive the things they would like for creating their homes,” said David Thompson World Vision’s Marketing Manager. “But increasingly, many couples feel they already have so much, so are opting to either include some alternative gifts in their lists, or, even set up an entire Alternative Wedding Gift List to replace a more traditional one.
“The great thing is it gives choice to the bride and groom after all If they already have the Le Creuset cookware they need then they can ask for an emergency cook set for a family who has just lost everything in an emergency situation. If they have an all in one microwave, with an Oven and a grill get then they could ask for a cowpat stove £ 34 for a family living in Nepal. After all who needs a set of bathroom scales that will only trip them up every morning in their bathroom when they could ask for a weighing bag for£17 to help health workers in Malawi monitor the weight of children. The best bit is the bride and groom will be happy that by choosing our alternative gifts they are making a truly lasting difference to couples and families in living in poverty around the world,” he continued.
A couple from South London were very happy with their wedding gifts when they got married. Heston and Lydia Groenewald opted for ‘alternative gifts’ from the World Vision Alternative Gift Catalogue. Fish farms, footballs, books and carpentry kits for people in poor countries, were just some of the gifts they received - instead of the more traditional cutlery, bath towels, toasters and wine glasses.
Lydia said, ‘we already had stuff that we needed and we wanted to give back to people who had less. I would certainly encourage other couples to do it especially nowadays when most people have what they need. It was something my husband and I felt strongly about and it added an extra something to our day.’
“Wedding gift lists are a great way for couples to choose and receive the things they would like for creating their homes,” said David Thompson World Vision’s Marketing Manager. “But increasingly, many couples feel they already have so much, so are opting to either include some alternative gifts in their lists, or, even set up an entire Alternative Wedding Gift List to replace a more traditional one.
“The great thing is it gives choice to the bride and groom after all If they already have the Le Creuset cookware they need then they can ask for an emergency cook set for a family who has just lost everything in an emergency situation. If they have an all in one microwave, with an Oven and a grill get then they could ask for a cowpat stove £ 34 for a family living in Nepal. After all who needs a set of bathroom scales that will only trip them up every morning in their bathroom when they could ask for a weighing bag for£17 to help health workers in Malawi monitor the weight of children. The best bit is the bride and groom will be happy that by choosing our alternative gifts they are making a truly lasting difference to couples and families in living in poverty around the world,” he continued.
The broad range of gifts includes items such as mosquito nets to help reduce the incidence of disease in Zambia (£5), fish stocks to help families returning to the Chettikulam region in Sri Lanka rebuild their lives after years of civil war (£17), a push bike for educators to take the message of HIV prevention to remote parts of Zambia (£54), birth certificates for children and women in Bolivia to enable them to have access to local government services (£6), vital vaccinations for children in the Bonthe district in Sierra Leone (£20) and access to education for some of Cambodia’s most vulnerable children in Battambang City (£20).
To set up an on-line Alternative Wedding Gift list, request a catalogue or make a purchase from World Vision’s Alternative Gift Catalogue, visit www.greatgifts.org or call 0845 600 6446.